Thermaltake Frio Extreme CPU Cooler Review - PAGE 1

Anyone who has ever went to the effort of overclocking their system is probably at least aware of Thermaltake, the company that brought us the Level 10 series of cases. Thermaltake's Level 10 GT Snow Edition would be an excellent example of their craftsmanship and dedication to creating a truly unique item, and their efforts extend into capable cooling solutions as well, including of course CPU coolers.

No surprise then that Thermaltake has added a new CPU cooler to their already impressive lineup, the Frio Extreme, priced roughly around $99. However this is not your ordinary cooler, as the Frio Extreme looks to pack a punch when it comes to cooling performance. Thermaltake has given it a maximum TDP rating of 250W, which is suited to handling what is already required by Intel's Core i7 3960X processor.

In today's review we get the chance to put the Thermaltake Frio Extreme to the test and see if it can withstand the heat. But before we get around to that let's do an inspection of the box and then familiarize ourselves with this new cooler.

The Frio Extreme is packaged in a blue on black box with just a hint of red splashed on it. The front of the box gives us a nice angled view of the cooler itself and a brief description on some of the included features like the dual 140x140mm fans, 6 heatpipes each measuring 6mm, and support for Intel's CPU socket LGA2011. The full list of specifications and features for the Frio Extreme can be found at the back. On the right hand side of the box you can view detailed photos of the features that have gone into the cooler, while the left hand side lists the cooler's specifications in multiple languages.

Specifications & CPU Compatability:

Processor Support:

Intel:

• i7 Extreme (Socket LGA2011/LGA1366)
• i7 (Socket LGA2011/LGA1366 & LGA1155/1156)
• i5 / i3 (Socket LGA1155/1156)
• Core 2 Extreme / Quad / Duo (Socket LGA775)
• Pentium & D / 4 (Socket LGA775)
• Celeron & D (Socket LGA775)

AMD:

• Llano Processors (Socket FM1)
• Phenom II X6 / X4 / X3 / X2 (Socket AM3/AM2+)
• Phenom X4 / X3 (Socket AM3/AM2+)
• Athlon II X4 / X3 / X2 (Socket AM3)
• Athlon 64 & FX / X2 (Socket AM2/939)
• Sempron (Socket AM2/939/754)